Arthur Sims
Sir Arthur Sims (27 July 1877 – 27 April 1969) was a New Zealand cricketer, businessman and philanthropist. He was born in Lincolnshire, England, and his family moved to New Zealand in 1880. They lived on farms in South Otago and Canterbury. Sims won a scholarship to Christchurch Boys' High School, where he excelled in cricket and academics. After school he worked for the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company while studying at Canterbury College, where he earned a BA and MA and became a qualified accountant.
Sims played top-level cricket for Canterbury and New Zealand, and in 1914 he also played for Australia. In 1913–14 he captained an Australian XI in New Zealand and, with Victor Trumper, shared a record 433-run partnership for the eighth wicket in a match against Canterbury. He appeared in 53 first-class matches, scoring 2,182 runs with an average of 26.28 and a top score of 184 not out; he also took 19 wickets.
After his playing days, Sims became a cricket administrator. He was president of the New Zealand Cricket Council in the late 1930s and, after World War II, served for about 20 years as New Zealand’s representative on the Imperial Cricket Conference at Lord’s. He helped persuade England to include a New Zealand leg in their tours of Australia, which became standard practice.
Sims was knighted in 1950 for services to medicine and education in the British Commonwealth. A biography, 84 Not Out: The Story of Sir Arthur Sims, Kt., by Alan Mitchell, was published in 1962. He died in 1969 in East Hoathly, Sussex, England, at the age of 91.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:09 (CET).